PATNA: Bihar is witnessing an emotional home-coming of thousands of migrant labourers from across the country. With their eyes in tears and voice emotionally-chocked, most of them could be seen bowing down to kiss the 'soil of Bihar' upon arrival at railway stations.
According to official sources, more than 1.50 lakh migrants have returned to the state in Sharmik Special trains.
Arun Kumar, 30, who arrived at Danapur from Jaipur on May 1, was one of the migrants. He who broke down with tears soon after the train carrying them arrived in Bihar. "It is like a new life. We were meted out to the worst kind of treatment in the lockdown. It would better to die here than leave the state", he said.
Naresh Das of Madhubani and Mohammad Shakil of Darbhanga, who returned from Maharashtra, said that they couldn't control their emotion along with 20 others traveling in the same coach that reached Darbhanga."We kissed Dharti maata of Bihar upon arrival."
Dr RK Verma, a social researcher of Patna said that emotion runs high among the people returning from other states. "If the government makes a mega plan to get the workforce engaged in Bihar, it will give a major boost to the development in the state", he said.
Meanwhile, works on skill-profiling following the directions of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar have also started across the state by disaster management department.
According to an initial survey conducted on the skills of 45,000 migrants, who have returned so far, more than 14,000 of them have been found working as unskilled labourers in the construction sector while around 10,500 were working in miscellaneous fields depending upon the availability of employment.
It has also been found that 5,030 migrant labourers worked as masons, 1,833 as helpers, and others in unorganised sectors.
Official involved in making skills profile said that a majority of migrants have been found well in tailoring, plumbing, painting, carpentry and driving, electrical welding, rolling drive. Scores are also found to be good at iron and electrical works, security jobs and road construction.
"While obtaining details on their skills, 98% of them sounded very emotional and determined not to return back even after the outbreak comes to an end," said an official.